Aggressive Vertebral Hemangioma Causing Recurring Myelopathy -A Rare Case Report and Review of Literature.

Introduction: Vertebral hemangiomas although benign vascular lesions few of these may be ag-gressive causing osseous, extra-osseous and/or epidural expansions with recurrence rate as low as 3%. It should be considered as one of the important differentials while dealing with lytic lesions in the dorsal spine causing compressive myelopathy. Case Report: A 16-year-old female came with an acute history of paraparesis with bladder in-volvement. She was diagnosed of vertebral hemangioma of D9 for which she underwent surgical decompression and fixation. At present, she had paraparesis with a sensory level of D10 on exami-nation. After radiological investigations (X-ray and MRI) she had high intensity signals in the extra osseous portion of D9 with significant neural compression indicating recurrence of vertebral he-mangioma. She underwent decompression with long segment instrumentation with prior arterial embolization. Histopathology features were suggestive of hemangioma and our diagnosis of recur-rence was confirmed. At 2 weeks, the patient had improved neurology with partial sensory recovery and Grade 2 power in the right lower limb and Grade 1 power in the left lower limb. Histopathology report confirmed the diagnosis of hemangioma indicating recurrence. At 6 months follow-up after aggressive rehabilitation, the patient was spastic and improved to Grade 3 power in the left lower limb and Grade 4 power in the right lower limb. The sphincteric control was also found to be fair at 1 year follow-up. Discussion: Vertebral hemangiomas when causing progressive neurological deficit warrant surgical decompression. The choice of intervention depends on location and extent of the tumor. Due to their high vascularity, it is advisable for to preoperatively carry out arterial embolization. Conclusion: Although commonly asymptomatic, vertebral hemangiomas may present as compressive myelopathy. Therefore, they should be detected early, intervened and followed up regularly to detect recurrence to prevent worsening of neurology and function.

Hemangioma of the Lumbar Spine Involving the Spinous Process: A Rare Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Hemangiomas of the spine are usually benign and asymptomatic. They can cause devastating complications such as pathological fractures of the spine and neurological disability. This report documents an atypical location of a hemangioma in a lumbar spinous process, in combination with a spondylolisthesis at the same level, which makes it even more uncommon. Surgery can be effective and safe and can significantly improve patient outcomes. Moreover, prior embolization can prevent acute hemorrhage in addition to providing careful diagnosis and evaluation.

Aggressive Vertebral Body Hemangioma Causing Compressive Myelopathy - Two Case Reports.

INTRODUCTION: Hemangiomas are benign tumors characterized by proliferation of blood vessels. A few hemangiomas are aggressive, characterized by bone expansion and extraosseous extension. These benign tumors may be mistaken for metatasis resulting in unnecessary biopsies, which have a high risk of hemorrhage. These hemangiomas can spread not just into the paraspinal soft tissues but also into the epidural region of the spinal canal causing cord compression and paraparesis. These clinical symptoms can be relieved by surgical decompression of the posterior elements, embolization or radiotherapy. CASE REPORT: In this case report the authors describe the imaging features of two aggressive vertebral body hemangiomas in two patients with back pain. One patient had isolated motor deficit while the other patient had both sensory and motor deficit. On imaging this benign tumor was seen involving both the vertebral body and its posterior elements with paraspinal and epidural extension causing compressive myelopathy. CONCLUSION: Thus, these case reports help identify the characteristic imaging features of an aggressive vertebral body hemangioma, preventing unnecessary and often risky biopsy. The clinical symptoms of the patient can be relieved by surgical decompression of the posterior elements or by radiotherapy. Use of onyx for intraarterial embolization is now believed to be the safest and most efficacious method for treatment of aggressive vertebral body hemangiomas. However, in the absence of definite guidelines, a multicentric study is warranted to prove that embolization with onyx is better than surgery with post-operative radiotherapy.